Merci Coco!

On a whim, I watched a little film called Coco Avant Chanel, a story about Chanel prior to her prominence in the fashion industry. In it, you see the influences that shaped her fashion ideas and style, from her humble beginnings growing up in an orphanage the simple clean lines of a nun's habit and garment, functional clothes that allowed you to move as well as to see a woman's face. These influences  in turn reveal the beginnings of how Chanel came to influence the rest of the world through more than fashion.



Before Chanel
This period of fashion for women was characterized by huge mutton sleeves that ballooned above the elbow and tiny, cinched waistlines accentuated by sashes or ribbons. Corsets created the look, but they confined the wearers. The materials were wool or serge and tailored. The French named it La Belle Epoc because the clothing was beautiful.

Chanel's Influence
Coco created designs that abandoned the emphasis on waist definition. She used neutral colors like cream, beige, sand and navy. Her jersey fabrics were soft and fluid. Chanel used simple shapes, designed for comfort and simplicity of wearing. Later in her career, she introduced the bell bottom, turtleneck sweaters and pea jackets; these styles found great success in the United States.

The Little Black Dress
In 1926 Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel published a picture of a short, simple black dress in American Vogue. It was calf-length, straight, and decorated only by a few diagonal lines. Vogue called it “Chanel’s Ford.” Like the Model T, the little black dress was simple and accessible for women of all social classes. Vogue also said that the LBD would become “a sort of uniform for all women of taste.”

Perhaps even more far-reaching, Coco is sometimes credited with popularizing short hair for women and shorter skirts. Here she is pictured in her own little black dress.

Many thanks to Coco for ushering in comfortable clothes for women. Not only have women become free of corsets but they had found freedom in movement, enabling women to work and take care of themselves which eventually led to their own financial independence. She was a self-made woman, very pragmatic in her approach to life, abandoned as a youth and although she fell in love, she considered marriage and coupledom boring and worse yet, resented dependency and so she never attached herself to a man, but rather focused her efforts on her work life.

In this movie, the theme of great sacrifice that propels success echoed a similar theme underlying another recent film The Adjustment Bureau. Does great success require great sacrifice? Can an individual seek achievement without hunger, challenges, competition or fear motivating her? I'd like to think not, but it's an interesting notion to reflect on. In any case, the movie about Coco Chanel while far from being a biopic certainly did inspire me as I witnessed her struggles and how that contributed to shaping her values. She was indeed a feminist before there were feminists.


Punchlines
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Or perhaps it's a stye.

Favorite Christmas Movies

In no particular order, I wanted to put together a list of Christmas themed movies that I've enjoyed through the years.

It's A Wonderful Life

Truly a classic fantasy story where George lives his entire life not knowing what sort of impact he has made on all the people around him and in his darkest hour, Clarence reveals how a dystopian life without George could be and through that experience, he realizes he desperately wants his own life back.

Love Actually

A medley of love stories leading up to Christmas, from unrequited love as is the case in this clip, first loves and crushes, infidelity, and so on. This is a wonderful movie about love around the holidays.

The Holiday

Two women swap houses for a couple weeks at Christmas and discover love in these new temporary worlds they inhabit. For Amanda who meets and falls in love with Iris' brother Graham, she finally opens up her heart.

The Family Man

Another fantasy story where Jack Campbell who has lived a jet-setting life of M&A is so full of himself that he taunts fate and is transported to a suburban life complete with wife and two kids. A fish out of water for most of the movie, he eventually settles in and realizes what he's been missing.

The Year Without Santa Claus

This one just takes me back my childhood. Loved this one growing up!

A Charlie Brown Christmas

An oldie but a goodie.

Bridget Jones Diary

This lovely romantic comedy takes place over the course of a year, but Christmas seems to bookend the opening and closing sequence which is quite touching, as you see Bridget's progression.

The Sound of Music

I remember sitting at the kitchen table in our flat in Toronto watching this beautiful musical on a small television angled at us on the counter and I was entranced.

Rent

Modern-day adaptation of La Boheme with one of the most stunning and memorable soundtrack, including Seasons of Love.

White Christmas

And what list would be complete without Bing Crosby's White Christmas.

Punchlines

I couldn't possibly wear something smaller, possibly a napkin, but do you think it's really necessary for me to cover my three nipples?

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

How happy is the blameless Vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd.
- Alexander Pope

A close friend introduced me to this amazing film about memories, longing and fate. It's an intriguing story told in a fractured narrative about erasing painful memories and exploring the implications of that sort of possibility. As much sorrow that could be had by living through pain, I'm not sure that I would opt for it and this is why: I think suffering yields growth and art... maybe even a connection to humanity, and I'm not sure if I would want to eradicate that part of me. The human experience would be far less meaningful, I would think.

There are a few moments that I particularly enjoyed in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The first is  when the two of them escape to his childhood memory framed by the beautiful scoring of Jon Brion.



The second is the moment when Joel realizes that he doesn't want to give up the happy memories along with the sad ones. Creating these memories are fleeting enough and I think one of life's gifts is that through time, you do look back fondly at the happy moments in your life and push away the dark ones.



And I love what Ebert had written in his review, "Discovering this, Joel in revenge applies to have his memories of her erased. But the funny thing about love is, it can survive the circumstances of its ending; we remember good times better than bad ones, and Joel decides in mid-process that maybe he would like to remember Clementine after all. He tries to squirrel away some of his memories in hidden corners of his mind, but the process is implacable."


Punchlines
Do midgets belong in porn?
Oh pish. Come on, don't be such a prude. We all need a little fun.

My Dinner with Andre

On a quiet, rainy sunday night, I watched for the first time the brilliant movie, My Dinner with Andre. Over the course of a two hour meal, these two masterful storytellers recount their experiences and talk of the theatre, life, art, and what it means to live. Watching this is like eavesdropping on the conversation at the next table in a posh restaurant, and one can easily imagine the stories as they're told rather than watch a series of flashback sequences. This of course goes counter to a typical cinematic experience and especially the mantra in screenwriting to "show, don't tell." But even so, this movie works for me probably because I have a pretty active imagination and could easily visualize this film in my mind's eye.  And after hearing the line "I could also live in my art but never in my life," I was hooked. I could sympathize with that sentiment from a writers' and artists' perspective, but  it is a devastating and tragic way to live, no?

There were many other ideas explored through dialog that I found intriguing and I was struck with how timely my viewing of this movie occurred in light of my last blog entry.

What does it mean to be alive, truly alive?

"Most people I met thought there was something wrong with me. They didn’t say that, but I could tell that that was what they thought. But see, what I think I experienced was for the first time in my life, to know what it means to be truly alive. Now that’s very frightening because with that comes an immediate awareness of death because they go hand in hand. The kind of impulse that Walt Whitman in Leaves of Grass, that feeling of being connected to everything, it means to also be connected to death. And that’s pretty scary, but I really felt as if I were floating above the ground, not walking…"

Andre's central thesis is that the modern age is stripping us of our humanity.

“You see, I think it's quite possible that the nineteen-sixties represented the last burst of the human being before he was extinguished. And that this is the beginning of the rest of the future now, and that from now on there'll simply be all these robots walking around, feeling nothing, thinking nothing.”

We aren't acting like true and honest people instead we're take up roles which are related to our occupations. We conform ourselves to narrow pursuits and expectations instead acting out of our own genuine desires.

“I've acted the role of the husband, I've acted the role of the friend, I've acted the role of the writer, director, what have you. I've lived in the same room with this person but I haven't really seen them. I haven't really heard them. I haven't really been with them.”

We are so dissconnected from other people that we know very little about the lives of our closest friends.

“I mean, we live in such ludicrous ignorance of each other. I mean, we usually don't know the things we'd like to know even about our supposedly closest friends!”

In a way, I envisioned myself in Wally's character who having spent that fictitious evening with his friend Andre, summed up his thoughts about his own way of looking at life. He didn't need Mount Everest to have this life-affirming realization.

"Tell me, why do we require a trip to Mount Everest in order to be able to perceive one moment of reality? I mean...I mean, is Mount Everest more "real" than New York? I mean, isn't New York "real"? I mean, you see, I think if you could become fully aware of what existed in the cigar store next door to this restaurant, I think it would just blow your brains out! I mean...I mean, isn't there just as much "reality" to be perceived in the cigar store as there is on Mount Everest?"

Wally lives a simple life and can find joy in the simple things. Isn't it enough to feel more alive in those moments without having to resort to bold gestures? I'd like to think so.

Punchlines

I too love cats. I love 'em. I play with 'em. I touch 'em. I...
Judge: Thank you, that will do. The defendant may be seated.

Bari Improv

I love this moment in the movie when August Rush discovers music for the first time. He plucks the string of a borrowed guitar and what issues forth is magical. Watching him in this scene is like watching someone wake up from the inside.



The song Bari Improv is actually performed by guitarist Kaki King, whose hands are also filmed in this sequence.

How many times have you watched a movie, read a book, heard a song or if you're blessed with the talent  that you've created a thing and thereby experienced a connection to whatever is out there? I was watching Dead Poets Society last night and was reminded by the quote from John Keating, "We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for."

As if it warranted any further explanation, this is why I write.

Punchlines
I am highly strung. I suspect it’s all because of the hand cannon shoved down my mouth.

The Bah-studs

So, last weekend along with about 3.5 million other people, I watched Inglourious Basterds. No doubt QT is butchering the English language in yet another way with the alternative spelling of "inglorious", let alone "bastards". I thought I'd add my own plumy version since we're at it.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie, which featured riveting protracted scenes which amped up the tension throughout. Even after the cathartic denouement in Act 3, the movie still stayed with me. It took me a good half hour or so for the adrenaline rush to abate. 

Col. Hans Landa was a delicious character to play, I'm sure, by the uber-talented, multi-lingual Austrian actor, Christoph Waltz. 

For a war movie, Basterds had me in stitches as well. Here's an example of Brad Pitt's pragmatic character, Lt. Aldo Raine: You probably heard we ain't in the prisoner-takin' business; we in the killin' Nazi business. And cousin, Business is a-boomin'.

Even the anachronistic references worked. Here's Lt. Aldo Raine recruiting Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz: I think you show great talent. And I pride myself on having an eye for that kind of talent. Your status as a Nazi killer is... still amateur. We all come here to see if you wanna go pro...

And if that isn't enough to whet your appetite, check out these other memorable quotes, which will become an entrenched part of pop culture in years to come. 

Punchlines

I liked everything about her except for her...

...mind, her presence and her tin foot.

Tangled Web

I'm not a fan of spiders. That's an understatement. I'm squeamish about spiders. Can't stand them. So when I found out about this pandemic, I was pretty freaked out. 

Twenty years ago, portions of the movie Arachnophobia was filmed on the Warner Bros. lot. During the filming, truckloads of spiders were brought in because regular Angelino spiders looked a bit boring, I suppose. Well when production concluded, they did not ship the spiders back from whence they came. Quite possibly they tried to, but I suspect they did not manage to recapture all of the spiders. As a result, these little critters dispersed across the Warner Bros. lot and its surrounding environs. 

Let me clarify one point. These spiders are not indigenous to this region. They do not fall prey to the typical cycle of population control by predators in Los Angeles. As a result, these spiders are able to live quite happily and tend to make their presence known in the summer months. 

And so it was that as I was walking from my car to the office this morning, I noticed at the end of the parking structure a beautiful, silk gauzy web which glistened in the morning sunlight. I stepped back and then noticed that, in fact, there were about a dozen webs spun by a dozen spiders... 

...which reminds me. I should probably close my sunroof today.

Punchlines

Have you seen the cash for clunkers new slogan? Show us your Junk!
What a coincidence! I wear the same sign when I go out on first dates. 

Wednesday

Is it hump day already? Why yes, it is. Thank goodness for urbandictionary.com. I am not a hip person, maybe hep, but not hip. So like other mere mortals, I resort to learning about life through urbandictionary.com. What is hump day for those less hep than even moi? Well, the traditional definition of "hump day" is as follows:

1.	hump day
	The middle of a work week (Wednesday); used in the context of climbing a proverbial hill to get through a tough week.

But I prefer the alternative definition.

6. hump day wednesday, being at the center of the work week. makes an ideal day for humping to break up the tedium of the week. people love to hump, and hump day is the second best part of the week for humping, the best part being the weekend.

Of course, I've been trying to spread the label "shag day" as in ... woohoo! Wednesday! Guess what day it is?!? Shag day!!! But I wasn't the originator of that idea, really. I got it from the 1998 movie Sliding Doors. When Helen (played by Gwyneth Paltrow) arrives home to find her boyfriend Gerry just getting out of bed, he calls out to find out who it is. She replies, "No, it's your bit of stuff. Wednesday, Shag Day, remember?" It's odd what random bits of dialog or thoughts stick with you. It's a lovely movie overall really. In one split second, the life of the main character takes two completely different directions. If she makes the train, a series of events unfold that leads to self-awareness, breaking up with Gerry, meeting a new man, and opening herself up to possibilities and change. If she doesn't make the train, a different series of events unfold which shows Helen stays in a relationship with a cheating Gerry, takes on menial jobs to support the two of them, while wanking Gerry knocks up another girl. Makes you wonder about the choices you make throughout the course of each day.  

Well, anyhoo... It's Wednesday. Enjoy today!

Punchlines

I haven't seen such camaraderie since I was in the Foreign Legion. Unless of course you include...
...the other night with Georgie. (sigh) 

Fade out

Tragic news emerged once again this week. This time from New York with the reported death of writer/director John Hughes. Gen-X'ers grew up with Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, Some Kind of Wonderful, National Lampoon's Vacation, and many others. I'll look back now and again on Ferris Bueller's Day Off and remark on Ferris and Cameron's adventure which illustrated that with the right amount of self-confidence and bullshit, you can accomplish anything. But because I can offer no better words than those penned by him, I'll leave you with memorable quotes from his movies. Rest in peace, John.

Sixteen Candles

Samantha: Donger's here for five hours, and he's got somebody. I live here my whole life, and I'm like a disease. 

Jim Baker: That's why they call them crushes. If they were easy, they'd call them something else. 

The Geek: You know, I'm getting input here that I'm reading as relatively hostile. 
Samantha: Go to hell. 
The Geek: VERY hostile. 

Breakfast Club

Andrew: We're all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that's all. 

Andrew: What do you need a fake I.D. for? 
Brian: So I can vote. 

Richard Vernon: You think about this: when you get old, these kids - when *I* get old - they're going to be running the country. 
Carl: Yeah. 
Richard Vernon: Now this is the thought that wakes me up in the middle of the night. That when I get older, these kids are going to take care of me. 
Carl: I wouldn't count on it. 

Brian Johnson: Dear Mr. Vernon, we accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. But we think you're crazy to make an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us... In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain... 
Andrew Clark: ...and an athlete... 
Allison Reynolds: ...and a basket case... 
Claire Standish: ...a princess... 
John Bender: ...and a criminal... 
Brian Johnson: Does that answer your question?... Sincerely yours, the Breakfast Club. 

Pretty in Pink

Iona: Does he have... strong lips? 
Andie: How can you tell? 
Iona: Did you feel it in your knees? 
Andie: I felt it everywhere. 
Iona: Strong lips. 
[laughs] 
Iona: I know I'm old enough to be his mother, but when the Duck laid that kiss on me last night, I swear my thighs just went up in flames! He must practice on melons or something. 

Iona: Andie, hon. Listen, it's after 7:00. Don't waste good lip gloss. 

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Sloane: What are we going to do? 
Ferris: The question isn't "what are we going to do," the question is "what aren't we going to do?" 
Cameron: Please don't say were not going to take the car home. Please don't say were not going to take the car home. Please don't say were not going to take the car home. 
Ferris: [to the camera] If you had access to a car like this, would you take it back right away? 
[beat] 
Ferris: Neither would I. 

Ferris: If you're not over here in fifteen minutes, you can find a new best friend. 
Cameron: You've been saying that since the fifth grade. 

Cameron: [Whispering to himself after hanging up from a phone call with Ferris] I'm dying. 
[Phone rings, and Cameron answers] 
Ferris: (over the phone) You're not dying, you just can't think of anything good to do. 

Sunshine

After some friends have been raving about this movie, I decided to check it out. Gripping. Absolutely gripping. High stakes. High concept. The movie has some impressive visual effects for the seething orb, the multi-paned reflective sun shields, and a virtual-reality cure chamber during Act 1. 

But the plot really picks up when the crew detects a faint signal from the original Icarus and has to decide whether to check it out. It's the first of several decisions that are dealt with in a practical, scientific way; later ones, involving sacrifice for the greater good, come down to a sheer numbers game that generates its own drama when applied to human lives.

Then, when Trey bungles the course adjustment, a series of events are set in motion that have escalating consequences. Capa and Kaneda exit the ship to repair sun shields -- a great scene which had a good balance between f/x and the human drama. Ditto the later boarding of the Icarus -- a dust-covered ghost ship that may hold a secret -- and the nail-biting transfer back to Icarus II.

Casting was not only multi-cultural but multi-continental. Almost half the crew is of Asian descent, including Captain Kaneda (Japan's Hiroyuki Sanada, "The Twilight Samurai"), biologist Corazon (Malaysia's Michelle Yeoh) and navigator Trey (British-Chinese thesp Benedict Wong). As the story opens, Trey is cooking stir-fried noodles in the kitchen and everyone is eating with chopsticks. On the occidental side, apart from Capa, there's pilot Cassie (Aussie actress Rose Byrne), medical officer Searle (Kiwi Cliff Curtis) and two Yanks, communications officer Harvey (Troy Garity) and engineer Mace (Chris Evans). While this may be aspirational to envision a future in which many races share in the responsibility to save the world, it also helped with sales in international territories. Domestic box grossed $3.7 million on just 461 screens while international grossed $28.3 theatrically. 

It's a shame that it was opened on a particularly crowded release schedule. That weekend alone, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry and Hairspray, but it also didn't help that there were continued strong performance from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Transformers, Ratatouille, Live Free or Die Hard as well as License to Wed, Evan Almighty, Knocked Up and Ocean's 13 rounding up the top 10 at the box office.

It really is a shame. It would have been impressive to see on the 33 x 89 foot silver screen of the Cinerama Dome. 

Punchlines

You know screenwriting is a lot like boxing...

...blood, sweat, tears... and very little actual writing.

Original moment

It's been some time since I've watched Garden State, but I listen to Frou Frou and the soundtrack pretty much all the time. So I'm reminded of the message of this movie about a guy who basically wakes up from the stupor to experience love and life. One of the most striking scenes from it, is when Sam (Natalie Portman) has an original moment and she goads Andrew (Zach Braff) to trying it as well. 

Take it literally or metaphorically, but either way it's not a bad thing to do, really, given the monotonous and often cliched world that we live in. But don't just squirm like a worm or baaa like a sheep, but doodle, sketch, write, compose, or create! You might find you'll surprise not just the world, but yourself.  

Punchlines

May I introduce myself? My card is...

...slightly out of date. It should say NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe.

Yo quiero Taco Bell

In honor of the passing of Gidget, the iconic chihuahua which uttered the phrase, "Yo quiero Taco Bell," I would like to take a moment and describe my childhood fondness for Taco Bell. Back in the day, there were warring factions between fans of Taco Bell and fans of Del Taco. I wouldn't say blood was spilt over this... well, maybe salsa... but we did have to make separate food runs when hunger pangs struck, which was often. 

By the way, for those who didn't know... in the futuristic action movie Demolition Man, Taco Bell is the only fast food company to survive the Franchise Wars. As a result, the only restaurants left have all become Taco Bells. 

The international version dubbed over Taco Bell and replaced it with Pizza Hut, but you get the picture. It's a campy enjoyable movie that has a lot of silly memorable quotes.

My all-time favorite item on the Taco Bell menu would have to be the Mexican Pizza. I haven't eaten it in a bazillion years, but I am tempted to make one soon. Yeah, I said make one and not buy one. Here is a recipe I purloined from the far reaches of the internet.

Taco Bell Mexican Pizza

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb ground beef
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/4 teaspoon diced minced onions
  
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder (Spanish is best)
  
• 2 tablespoons water
  
• 8 flour tortillas (6 "inch")
  
• 1 cup cooking oil
  
• 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
  
• 1/3 cup diced tomatoes
  
• 2/3 cup mild picante sauce
  
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  
• 1 cup shredded Pepper jack cheese
  
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
  
• 1/4 cup sliced black olives
  

Directions

• Get a skillet pan and place it over medium heat. Heat the ground beef and cook it until completely brown. Drain all excess oil.
  
• Keep the beef in the pan. Add the chili powder, onions, salt, paprika, and water.
  
• Stir and simmer for about 10 minutes.
  
• While it's simmering, get a small frying pan and pour a little of cooking oil into the pan. Put it on medium heat. Place a tortilla into the pan, frying it for 30 to 45 seconds. Flip it over and fry that side for 30 to 45 seconds. Pop any bubbles that forms on the tortillas. You'll want to make sure that it always stays flat. Remove from the pan when it's golden brown and drain on paper towels. Repeat this step for each tortilla.
  
• Cook and heat the refried beans in a separate pot. At this point also, you can go and preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
  
• Grab one tortilla shell and spread a generous amount of beans on it. Scoop up some meat and then place another tortilla shell on top of the meat.
  
• Pour about 2 tablespoons of salsa on top of the second tortilla. Spread cheese, onions, and tomato on the salsa.
  
• Place the completed Mexican pizza in the oven for about 8 to 12 minutes.

 Tips

• You can eliminate any topping you wish to your taste. Instead of the salsa, you can make a jumbo meat/bean pizza and place the desired toppings on top as usual.
  
• Use flour tortillas instead of corn because corn tortillas tend to become a little chewer.
  
• If you don't want greasy tortilla shells, spray a little PAM or any other non-stick spray instead of using cooking oil.
  

Prego!

Punchlines

My eggs are...

...square and not oval as is more traditional. I was born that way.

HP6 is not a calculator

As I was traveling last week, I wasn't able to see a sneak preview screening of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I'm a little bummed about that, but I am hoping to make up for lost time and be able to report on the movie tonight when it opens wide in the US. Rottentomatoes has it at 95% on the freshness scale compared to its predecessors:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001), 78%

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), 82%

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), 89%

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), 88%

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), 77%

The Harry Potter midnight showing earned a record $22.2 million, which bests the Wednesday night opening of The Dark Knight which earned $18.5 million last year and went on to earn $203.7 million in the first five days. Placing these expectations on Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is probably unrealistic, given that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix generated $140 million in its first five days. All I gotta say is that I'll certainly do my part tonight. Won't you? 

Punchlines

If it wasn't for you meddling kids...

...I'd be gettin' laid all the time.

Punchline

Since I was at home in bed with the flu, I caught up on some old classics, like Punchline from 1988. I watched it in part to do some research for a script collaboration, writing stand-up comedy for a fellow screenwriter. But what I got instead was a poignant story about a woman and her relationship with her family, her husband, her new world in comedy, and ultimately herself.

Sally Field plays Lilah a housewife from New Jersey with three girls and a husband who sells insurance for a living. She was a woman who loves three things in her life: being a mom, being a wife, and making people laugh. In the scenes where we see her in her day-to-day life, you see the mundane, dull and tedious aspects of it, but when you see her at night doing her set, you see her come alive. 

It would have been so easy for her to have left her husband and her kids behind, especially since he wasn't supportive of what she was doing. Even more appealing is finding a kindred spirit in Steven, played by Tom Hanks, who was 10 years her junior and also in love with her. 

Steven: So what's the deal? He doesn't let you have any friends. He doesn't let you do stand up. I'm surprised he let you out the house.

Lilah: He thinks I'm at a PTA meeting.

Steven: So why don't you leave him?

In the end, she doesn't leave her old life for a new one or an old love for a new one. She finds a way to have both. To pursue her passions in comedy, to rekindle her relationship with her husband, and find happiness.

For me, I find a great deal of happiness in writing and in particular writing comedy. Ironically, it started with writing Punchlines on Trigger Street. So what are you all waiting for? Come on people! Do something that makes you come alive!

Punchlines

That's the last time I'll buy jeans from Gap Online.

The little jeans that are the size of a kleenex tissue, regardless of ordered size? Yeah, everybody...  please stay away from Gap Online dot org.

About as subtle as a gun

I've done my fair share of both reading romantic comedy screenplays and watching them as well. While a vast majority are amusing and can elicit a smile, very few of them have laugh out loud moments. When Harry Met Sally, Four Weddings and a Funeral, My Best Friend's Wedding, Bridget Jones's Diary and Love Actually come to mind as the stand-out rom-coms that had both romance and comedy. The Proposal must be added to these ranks. 

I say this, because in large part, Margaret (played by Sandra Bullock) as a character is so over-the-top that by comparison Andrew (played by Ryan Reynolds) is a character the audience instantly empathizes with. While they were both very enjoyable to watch, Ryan Reynolds and his subtle face expressions reacting to situations or to Margaret's demands were priceless. Many of these are evident in the trailer, but you gotta see it in context. Go see it this week!

Punchlines

Hey Varmint! What's say you and I wrastle fer munny!
Not you again. Listen - I have no desire to be felt up again, you perv. All I want is to come into town and pick up my bolts of gingham from the Ingals Store and be on my way.

Moon over my Sammy

Not since Tom Hanks in Cast Away almost 10 years ago have we seen a protagonist take up largely the entire movie and every single scene in it. While Cast Away eventually returned Chuck Noland to civilization years later and thus interact with other characters, Moon takes the sense of isolation one step further by keeping Sam Bell on the moon for the entirety of the story and he is alone, except for GERTY, the pleasant and eagerly helpful robot. 

From a filmmaking perspective, this really puts a lot of pressure on casting the right person who the audience will be willing to patiently watch go through the story and remain engaged. Quite frankly Tom Hanks didn't do it for me in Cast Away, and while it was a great story and I am usually a Tom Hanks fan, there came a point where I just got tired of seeing him on screen. I needed a break.

In Moon, the casting of Sam Rockwell as the lead worked for me. I haven't seen him play a leading role, as he did in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Instead, I mostly recall him from his portrayal of off-beat characters such as Zaphod Beeblebrox in Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy or Eric Knox in Charlie's Angels. So you can see how I may have categorized him as a notable character actor. Indeed, Sam Rockwell had the depth and diversity to be intense as well as laugh out loud funny -- really a pleasure to watch. Way to go, Sam. I hope this movie propels your career into the stratosphere. 

Punchlines

What you fear, Sergio... I think what you fear is life. Take the fish, Sergio. The fish, without even thumbs! The fish fears not the water, but the sharks that are in the water. And what is worse than the shark is the thought of the shark... in the fish's mind.

Thank you. And that was Dan Rather with his weekly Just Think About It segment. Thanks again, Dan - inspiring stuff. Now, here's Suzy with sports...

Worst office product ever!

The award would have to go to my red Swingline stapler. She had been a loyal friend to me for some time. She didn't bind as much as the Boston stapler. She was always there when I needed her. Very consistent.

One day, I inserted a new set of staples into her, and all of a sudden, she decided not to work. I thought these things were standard, but I guess they're not. They really should make standard staples. Why would anyone want to stock different staples for different staplers?

Anyway, the staples I used wouldn't work on her. I would have to open her up, slide the staples forward and then bang down on her. If I'm doing a lot of stapling, I repeat this action and each time, I get more and more pissed.

I wonder if she wanted more attention from me. More handholding. I dunno, whatever. I don't need a needy stapler. I've got more pressing concerns quite frankly, like the 3-hole punch, but don't get me started.

Then a colleague of mine asked to use my stapler. I warned him about how she acts up. How she's difficult. He chuckles at me as he took hold of her, adjusts the staples one last time, and then swiftly and firmly banged the top of her head.

He continued away stapling with efficiency and I stared at him in wonder. I glared at her for betraying me. How could she work with ease in his hand and not in mine? Have I not been loyal? Having broken her of her obstinate ways, he left me with her to do our daily deeds.

Today, I noticed I've run out of staples again, and I wonder if she will regress into her once needy obstinate ways. I honestly don't know. But I do know that I will never get rid of her. I will never let anyone take her away from me. We've gone through thick and thin, she and I.

(The origin story of Milton and his red stapler.)

Punchlines

Props are well and good, but at some point the watermelon sledging and the rummaging through an old chest don't exactly constitute magic nor entertainment.

Certainly not. No, for that, you can't beat...

...rummaging through a young chest. (over 18 of course)

Show, don't tell.

One of the best examples of the screenwriting axiom of "show, don't tell" is the new animated short by Pixar called Partly Cloudy. It is the newest 3D animated short attached to Up, directed by Peter Sohn, a Pixar animator, the voice of Emile in Ratatouille and the basis for the character of Russell (voice of Jordan Nagai). 

Everyone knows that storks deliver babies, but where do storks get babies from? In this short film, cloud people sculpt babies from clouds and bring them to life. Partly Cloudy is about Gus, a lonely and insecure grey cloud, who is a master at creating "dangerous" babies like crocodiles, rams, porcupines and sharks. Gus's creations become more and more rambunctious and so his loyal delivery stork partner, Peck, must work harder and harder. 

Talk about "show, don't tell." This little vignette hit all the high notes and had me laughing so hard, it brought tears to my eyes. I could watch this one over and over again. 

Punchlines

They say life is a tragedy for those who feel...

...itchy, and no other sensations or emotions. Just itchy and maybe annoyed.

That thing he does

My introduction to jazz came shortly after I saw That Thing You Do. I swear! Prior to that, I found it somewhat inaccessible and no one my age really appreciated jazz. It was a musical genre appreciated by people older than me, and there was always something about it that seemed, well, inaccessible. When I saw Guy Patterson's enthusiasm and knowledge about jazz, I became curious. The piece of music that inspired this quest was the scene that took place at the end of Act 2b when Guy laid down tracks called Spartacus with Dell Paxton. 

The piano and drum duet from that movie led me to discover Bill Evans. I grew up playing the piano so it was a natural fit to follow a pianist and appreciate his skill and artistry.

Here is just a sampling of my favorite Bill Evans tracks, mostly from the Verve label.

Autumn Leaves

How Deep is the Ocean

Waltz for Debby

Summer Time

Come Rain or Come Shine

Punchlines 

I had a great time last night. Thanks for thinking of me, although next time would you mind if instead we could...

...I get it. Less body fluid. Check.

Georgy Girl

Georgy Girl is a 1966 British film based on a novel by Margaret Forster. The film was directed by Silvio Narizzano and starred Lynn Redgrave as Georgy, Alan Bates, James Mason, Charlotte Rampling and Bill Owen.

The title song, performed by Australian band The Seekers, became a hit single and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song (music by Tom Springfield, lyrics by Jim Dale). Redgrave was also Oscar-nominated for her titular performance as Best Actress, as were Mason for Best Supporting Actor and Kenneth Higgins' cinematography.

The film was the basis for a musical stage adaptation called simply Georgy.

Ted introduced me to the song Georgy Girl earlier this year, and given recent events I wanted to introduce you to the song because, well, I’m just in that kinda mood. Enjoy!

Hey there, Georgy girl 

Swingin' down the street so fancy-free 

Nobody you meet could ever see the loneliness there - inside you 

Hey there, Georgy girl 

Why do all the boys just pass you by? 

Could it be you just don't try or is it the clothes you wear?  

You're always window shopping but never stopping to buy 

So shed those dowdy feathers and fly - a little bit   

Hey there, Georgy girl 

There's another Georgy deep inside 

Bring out all the love you hide and, oh, what a change there'd be 

The world would see a new Georgy girl   

Hey there, Georgy girl 

Dreamin'; of the someone you could be 

Life is a reality, you can't always run away 

Don't be so scared of changing and rearranging yourself 

It's time for jumping down from the shelf - a little bit   

Hey there, Georgy girl 

There's another Georgy deep inside 

Bring out all the love you hide and, oh, what a change there'd be 

The world would see a new Georgy girl   

(Hey there, Georgy girl) 

Wake up, Georgy girl 

(Hey there, Georgy girl) 

Come on, Georgy girl   

(Hey there, Georgy girl) 

Wake up, Georgy girl

Words by Jim Dale and Music by Tom Springfield.

Punchlines

He was just a one-night stand. I swear. He doesn't mean anything to me. In fact...

...here... I'll kick him right in the balls.